a little bit of housekeeping, first off. our debate format was agreed to by both campaigns. we have asked our audience not to applaud, boo, or heckle monday and silent support of their candidate. each candidate will have the option to question. it is time to introduce you to the panel. joining me from our sister station, donna. thanks for being here. food to see you tonight, and tim from krtv. ladies and gentlemen in the

audience, thank you for being here, and you at home, you can feel the tension to night. by a coin toss we had earlier this afternoon, we flipped a coin, and congressmen, you got the right to enter the first question. -- to enter the first question, and that comes from me. both of you have accused the other of putting politics over jobs. congressman, you have come under criticism for killing the jobs and recreation act. you have been criticized for voting with environmental concerns and support the epa rules, which are being blamed for mothballing down the road. my question, when does politics tromped job since -- trump

jobs? >> i would like to thank my wife and daughter in the audience. who can better put people back to work. he has two cats and has been taking one, which is the obama pass. 90% of the time he has supported job killing policies of the obama administration. if we want people back to work we cannot have obamacare. its stifles the economy, and it does not reform health care. it is going to take $10 billion from the economy on an annual basis it does not work, so we need to talk about the past.

one is more government control. >> senator, your response. >> first, i want to thank the networks and my family, my wife of 35 years, my daughter, and my other daughter, and 60% of the grand kids are here. it is good to have james here. jobs are critically important, and i think if you take a look at what is wrong with washington, d.c. compan, there a long list of people. the jobs bill as a prime example that you brought up. it is interesting the gentleman i am running with is hyper partisan.

he mentioned rosa, and she has gotten off hold of me and said he has not been much of the health on the subcommittee, and quite frankly, what needs to be done is people need to work together as americans. is when doesion thi politics trump jobs? is it when clean air or clean water is at stake or perhaps politics? >> the answer is jobs, and we need to create an environment in washington, d.c., where we are working together. we are trying to create an environment of working together. it is a political year. of course she is going to endorse the senator that best

represents her local view, which is connected. >> senator, your turn. >> she did not endorse me. she just said what the record was. politics should never trump jobs. the problem was not wanting to invest in this country. clean water and clean air, it is a $3 billion industry, and we can have both, but you need regulations, and 50 days before an election they announced three years ago they are going to kill the plant. >> he brought us the company from an action the epa took, and epa was told by the chamber of commerce that if you took that action if you voted not to suspend the rules, they would

not have to prevent it. that is the problem. you see bureaucrats are dictating policy in montana. we can do just fine. >> the congressman has talked about 95% and other things that are patently false. they said they could deal with these rules. the problem they have is with ash and hayes. they can meet those standards. they have chosen to make investments in latin america, not in montana. we have been here before, and that is not the way it should be. a company that does not pay $45 million in taxes to the state of montana. they are manipulating not only their workers but the congressman on this decision.

>> time to go to our panel. our first question goes to senator tester. >> thank you. an overwhelming concern is the negative ads, so are the negative ads toward you buy your opponents greeted with one -- net so of the negative ads toward you buy your opponents, which one bothers you most? >> we have unlimited amounts of corporate secret money in campaigns, and i might add the decision has endorse my opponent and give him $10,000. i do not want an endorsement because i believe in transparency of government. he tells folks, now number one, they have been driving this over and over again 95% with obama. it is not true.

i come home every weekend to get the ideas of montana and take it back to washington, d.c., and not just talk about it but actually get things done. >> they are trying -- he is trying to mislead montana's. it is 95% of the time against the best wishes of the stimulus and the epa, and he has a chance to side with small businesses, and he chose to side with wall street. what bothers me most is the ones who do not address the issues of obamacare, of sales stimulus, of how we turn our economy around. we need to talk about the issues people are talking about in montana, and that is why i continue to get back to the issues of supporting this

president 95% of the time, and i believe i'd better represent the value and principles of montana when i say to give small businesses back. >> i believe you have a follow up. >> you have any idea how much money has been spent by your campaign, even with the ads that say you have not approved this message? >> i do not. >> our budget was around $10 million. that is the money i have raised to put my hands on tv. -- my ads on tv. i would assume the money comes from ads or corporations. -- you want i can show you my budget was $8 million, but i

cannot begin to show you what kind of spending. frankly, this is not about campaign spending. this is about government spending. it is out of control. we have to bring it under control. i believe in transparency and putting our contributions of the internet in 24 hours, but as far as my personal budget, it is $8 million. >> some folks told me they are sick to death of all the negative ads. they do not want to listen any more. do you feel responsible for those negative ads, and does it detract from your message? >> i tell folks if they do not like the negative ads, they do not have to campaign. we ran positive ads. they have been all negative.

the bottom line is i want to talk about the issues, too. >> what about the other ads you do not approve. they have not been all positives. what about the others? >> i did not even know who they are or when they come down. i cannot meet with those folks. i.s.m. and not -- unlike the congressmen, i cannot meet with those guys, and i do not know who they are. i do not know where the money comes from. i think they ought to have transparency. we are back here again. we can talk about government spending, but the truth is our democracy is cedras from all the money coming into these

campaigns. >> the majority of the united states depends on this race. ultimately, people have an opportunity and the right to be involved, but it is not about campaign spending. it is about government spending. that is the difference between the campaigns, his path, which is government spending, and mine, which is to control spending. >> when the congressman got elected we had a budget surplus in this country, and it did not take him long to put a prescription drug and a tax plan on the credit card, so if you want to talk about government spending, let's go. >> it is time to accept responsibility for the last four years of spending. this is your economy. you had total control in the

house of representatives and the presidency. you spend one trillion dollars against our debt for a failed stimulus. you pass health care reform that is going to costs me 1.7 trillion dollars. you have added six trillion dollars in the last four years and eight trillion dollars to the debt. accept responsibility for your actions over the last 46 years. >> stimulus was the emergency funding -- policemen, teachers, firefighters, infrastructure. what did the congressman do? how did he want his money spent? he advocated for as if it -- for a $64 million project right here to give broadband to the richest of the rich. that makes sense, because he has done nothing but look out for himself and his rich buddies.

>> i am going to put you on hold for a second. we are going to hear from one of our viewers. .et's take a listen >> i would like to know if you could pass one piece of legislation to better montana, what would you put inside it? >> the first question goes to you. >> i would like to thank the viewer for joining our democracy and asking a question. the biggest issue that faces our country is the debt and deficit. we are going to have to ask some tough questions, and we cannot be playing politics. we have to have are robust plan. i would say around 4 trillion dollars closer to five trillion dollars, and there is a lot of work being done on this. i hope during a lame-duck we get a great start on it, because it is a huge issue for jobs. it is a huge issue for this

country. ireland, greece, these are canaries in a mine shaft, and we need to move forward with a good policy that will impact a whole country and do it in a responsible way to move our economy forward, and that is the number one issue we need to work on to move our country forward. >> i thank you for the question. what i introduced was a balanced budget requirement for the federal government, but the first piece of legislation i will sponsor was to repeal obamacare. we need to put that money back into medicare. we cannot afford that. i would be proud to carry the legislation as i was proud to carry the legislation to fund obamacare, i would be proud to support legislation to repeal

obamacare. >> speaking about president obama, and i will have to ask the question differently. where has the president failed montana, and how would you fix it? >> i think he failed montana in health care. he added to a system that has already failed. i think the stimulus has already failed. our solution was not to pump money into a onetime expenditure. we want to try to expand payroll taxes. that would put money in the hands of small businesses. i would suggest the new regulations coming out are destroying jobs in billings, montana, costing over $10 million every year from our economy. but i do not understand why you would have an energy tax that is

hurting our oil, coal, and gas industries on montana that we rely upon. >> the you feel president obama has implemented policies that hurt montana? >> i feel the race to the top is not a good policy for education for one candidate. we have been working with the administration to try to get them more aware of the issues that are out there. it is critically important every time america against -- gets left off. other countries have a carbon tax. we do not, and that is the problem. there has been debate. it has been thrown against the wall. let's hope it sticks. let's talk about what we have done, less than in decades.

we are becoming more energy dependent. natural gas is cheaper than cool. that is good for folks. energy is sheet. that is good for the consumers. the obama administration needs more from rural america. it is an educational paul -- process, and let's put it like that. >> we do not have an energy policy. we have an environmental policy. we need to work on alternatives like wind and solar and biomass. we need to talk about conservation, and we need to reach our next generation of energy production. the president does not have an energy policy. >> it is time to take our first

break. you are watching the 2012 montana debate. we will be back right after this. that's welcome back to campaign 2012, the senate debates on the montana television network. >> we are back for more questions with senator jon tester and congressman denny rehberg. >> the affordable care act often referred to as obamacare, i know you are not a fan, but if it is so bad, what would you do if you were offered to change its eminent -- to change it? >> some of the things we knew, they were serious about controlling the costs of health care. health insurance premiums have increased by $2,500.

talk to your doctor right here. talk to your hospital, and they will tell you defensive medicine occurs right here and in every community across america. if they make a mistake, they know they are going to be taken to court, but it is the doctors doing two procedures instead of one or checking into a hospital instead of outpatient service. we can talk about health care plans, the opportunity to buy health insurance. we can talk about the opportunity of allowing bigger pools to be created, expanding programs so we have more family practice. these are ideas we are willing and ready to prepare. we are not allowed to. >> senator tester, there are polls that show that montana and

steve not like affordable care act. how can you sell it? >> that is the bottom line were you have a pre-existing condition. i am glad the congressman talk about selling across the state lines, about increasing general practitioners and family practice in the health-care bill. there is a lot of stuff in the health-care bill. i always get accused of not reading it. the health-ine isn' care bill extends health care for eight years. the mistake that was made was that we did not implement it quick enough to be able to get the competition of the kinds of things in the health-care bill, and if you take a look at what congress has done when inside the affordable care at, i do

fine women's health, trying to make a voucher system who out of the medicare system, these things are not good for seniors. they are not good for women, and they are not good for the population. we will talk about health care for some time to go. i think it is a step in the right direction. >> the problem is obamacare cost jobs. it does not solve the problem and steal $716 billion from medicare. it is not a good plan. people did not read it. it was passed with lack of information, and senator tester did not have one single town hall meeting on obamacare. >> first, that is incorrect. second, it reduces the debt over the long haul. third, it holds congress

accountable. >> what would you say to those with pre-existing conditions who are dependent on this? >> if you want to subsidize, we could talk about that using the existing system that is already in place. you did not have to destroy our economy and put the government between a doctor and their patients, so if you are upset about the insurance companies, you are replacing an uncaring big insurance company with an even bigger federal government. allow them the opportunity to work on medicare reform, but do not destroy medicare to set up an entirely new entitlement called obamacare. it does not make sense. >> they wanted government health

care. that is not what this is. this is about companies offering insurance and having competition from an increasing pool, selling across state lines, and giving consumers a choice, and that competition results in prices being driven down, and that is the bottom line, and if there was a mistake made, it is that we did not hold insurance companies accountable. you should implement it quicker. >> if you want to address small business, ask small business. they have endorsed me, but this is not good for small business. it is a tax on small business. it is going to cost $800,000. is not the right thing to do. there are ways we could reform health care, but you cannot do it without addressing reform and

addressing the uninsured. >> my wife and i have a small business, and i can tell you a group is taken to the cleaners by insurance, so if you want to talk about business, we are a business, and we cannot afford to be sick. there was a time when we could not afford insurance, and we went without it. that is a serious situation, because if you get sick, what you do then? $2,100 a year to that tune for folks who have insurance, so we need to get more people injured. it has got to be the bottom line. >> my wife and i are a small business as well. when we were married i took over the ranch. we were a family, too. we went to the local bank and it

allowed us an opportunity to have a bigger pool. you have the ability to afford health care. that is how jan and i paid for our health care as we began our wrenching family. >> we have come to the part of our debate where we will let the candidates as each other a question, and the first one goes to rohberg. >> i appreciate you voted with obama 95% of the time. >> no, i have not. >> we talked about why you voted for obamacare and all the good it would do. it is bad for montana. it is bad for the patients became as you please the government between the patient and the doctor. it is bad for students because you took out of medicare. it is bad for small businesses.

it is bad for health insurance costs, because it was going to lower insurance by 2500 and rose it by 2500, so if you look at all the bad things it is doing for montana, how can you justify it? >> going by what you said, that would be not a good thing to do. you shouldline isn' have read the bill. this is not government health care. and need is a great thing to say. it is a great talking point to talk to the media about, but this is not a government health care. this is about trying to get more insurance in the marketplace and hold insurance companies accountable so people can afford to get sick. that is the bottom line, and that is why the health care bill is there. the system we had not work. i can give you examples of small

businesses, ranches that not only lost one generation of earning ability because someone in their family got sick, but multiple generations that have been handed down. now if you cannot afford to get sick, if puts the economy in a bad place. >> i want to ask. the meeting you had here with president obama, it was passed in the senate. my question is, do you think that is how montana's believe in transparency and how they would want you to handle a bill this important? >> since it is on-line, you can handle this looking back. i have had meetings on the health-care bill. the bottom line is you talk about this being done in the dead of night. this is a 10-month process.

he did his best to try to get everyone on board for this bill, and for political reasons, he decided he could play politics with this instead of doing what was right. >> senator tester, it is your opportunity to ask congressman rehberg a question. >> let's let the facts. in 2009, he supported a bill to make medicare into a voucher system so when the seniors are out there, and you know very well the chance of getting sick is much higher. those seniors and needed help. they could not depend on medicare, because it would have been the voucher system, and they would have to beg and plead with the insurance companies. can you tell me what your

thought process was when you voted to take medicare into a voucher system? >> i have never voted to harmon medicare and social security. i have done everything i can, and i will always vote to preserve and protect medicare. i do not do anything but support preserving social security and medicare. i put this back in to save them. this is one of the reasons why i did not support their ryan budget. my promise to seniors is i will always vote. i will never vote to privatize security or medicare.

i believe they are sound and i believe that they should be there for anyone who is on it now. >> in 2009, the record is clear. you voted to make medicare into a voucher system. you have been on this platform before and talk about what you'll never do. a few years that, you talked about never taking a pay raise. \.last count, it was five bu can we believe this time? >> you will do anything to keep your job. i have never voted for a pay raise but you have. you voted for a pay raise just several months ago and the senate and i have never voted for a pay raise and i don't support the privatization of social security. i would do everything i possibly

can. you are the one that cut seven had a $16 billion from medicare that affects doctors, hospitals and indirectly, it will affect seniors. >> only in washington, d.c. when you have waste, fraud, and improper insurance payments to you call that a bad thing. not one penny a benefits for cut the health care bill. not one penny. take a look at this statement about not voting for perez's or making medicare into a voucher system. -- take a look at the statement about not voting for pay raises. >> this affects doctors and hospitals. you voted for sequestration. when the president tells us that

we're not going to lose a doctor of our choice, the problem is that the doctor will not be able to see us because they will not be able to afford to see us because we're not reimbursing them for their cost. when he said it does not affect beneficiaries, do not fall for that line. it will hurt seniors, hospitals. "let's talk about the sequestration. -- let's talk about the sequestration. you want us to default on our debt. that would have driven us into a depression. you tell us how we create jobs when we are in a depression. course i tell you how to do with that issue. he voted to set up a super committee. we should not ever give up our

responsibility to 12 individuals to go behind closed doors and fix all of the problems with america. how was solved the problem? i have introduced the entitlements that don't even become law until 2014. the expansion of the subsidy. if we are having problems, why in the world would you vote for it bill that creates two new entitlements that costs 1.4 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. and expense we cannot pay for. this would solve the sequestration issue. >> the fact is that it extends medicare for 8 years. what have you done that has ever extended medicare? on the other side of the coin, you have tried to make it into a

voucher system. you have run from your record. if i was a senior, i would be very concerned with you in terms of things like medicare and changing social security. >> once again distorting my record. there are people that have taken money out of medicare and that is president obama and your vote. that is a fact. it will affect medicare. it is the only way we can turn this thing around is to get serious about the discussion about medicare and social security. this is a new tax and a mandate that frankly montana ends don't like to be told what to do. you cannot admit that he made a mistake and voted for a bomb care. -- obamacare.

a vote foru did not sa it. >> there was no cuts. i have carried bills. for the congressman to talk about perez's, that is incorrect. >> he is trying to mislead this. that is a problem with washington. they put in bills before we got the congress. we did not have a chance to vote on. i sponsored legislation to allow the opportunity for us to vote on whether we would take a pay raise or have a pay raise or not. i have consistently opposed that pay raise. i have voted to freeze my salary.

you are the only one standing on this and in fact voted for a pay raise. >> agriculture is a big deal and the state. both of you have backgrounds in farms and ranches. i have 80 charming sons that i would like to give my property through. two charming sons that i would like to give my property to. >> exempt small businesses. this is what i have advocated for since i have been there. i have bills currently to do that. when my parents passed, they pass the farm on to us.

we got it with no taxes. that is the bottom line. >> this is not just for farmers and ranchers but for all businesses. it should not exist in the first place. my great grandmother passed away. we had to sell a third of our ranch just to pay the down payment on the state tax. my sister and i had to go to the bank to follow the rest of the money. every single dollar, we had to borrow. essentially we were able to move the house up. no one should pay a death tax. i am the one that believes that there should be no death tax for everyone. you have been paying an income tax along the way and you will pay a capital gains tax if you try to enrich yourself by

selling that property. >> could you do it for more than farmers and ranchers? >> 8 $10 exemption per couple would take care of this. on the other side of the coin, it would not help a company that is closing down and of shoring jobs. it would not help those that think that latin america is a better investment then the great state of montana. this would help to family businesses. >> will this expire? >> yes, it will go back to $1,000,000.55%. you have to provide certainty to our businesses. -- you have to go back $1,000, 55%. i will do everything i can to keep this from happening again. we should permanently eliminate the death tax.

we should put in permanently the tax relief. there is no certainty what the taxes will be. >> we have to go to break right now. we are just getting warmed up. you are watching the 2012 u.s. senate debate. we will wrap things up right after this. >> our next question comes from our panelists. >> i think this goes to the congressman. you touched on this mask cool fiscal cliff of large spending cuts. this could potentially cost the average person $3,500. will this happen? >> i will do everything i can to see that it doesn't happen. the effective have would be

unimaginable. even the secretary of defense has said this is not a good idea. this is a fiscal cliff and this is serious. we need to be serious about it. that is why if we repeal obama care, we will have eliminated that problem. but a form of transportation, there was one individual that was making overcome $170,000. 18 months later, there was 1690 that were making over 170,000. we have a spending country in this -- is spending problem in this country. we need to control our spending first. i can give you all kinds of places where we have ways, fraud, and abuse.

>> we cannot be allowed to go over the fiscal cliff. we have to work together to get this fixed. there is enough skin in the game for everybody. we need to get together. just as the default, obviously 2011 would have put the country into a tailspin economically. we have a tendency to work together to put politics aside, to work as americans. -- we have the opportunity to work together to put politics aside. there are already people working on a long-term debt reduction. let's take a look at what those folks have to offer and then let's get it fixed by the first quarter of 2013. it is important to the future of this country. >> when you talk about cuts, where would the first cuts come from? is anything sacred?

>> again, i talked about the elimination of obamacare. in my budget, what i'm trying to do, 46 different job training programs and 8 different federal agencies. that must be the limited. pakistan, we're sending them $4 billion a year, yet they have closed of our supply line by which we supply our troops in afghanistan. we need to get serious with our neighbors and say we're not trying to buy our friends and we are not going to necessarily nation build.

we still have cold war era basis that we could close, make our military action stronger and to make our allies happier. there are many things that we can go back and look at whether it is the tax earmarks, loopholes. closing the loopholes for those that offshore jobs. we need to look at the programs that are not providing any service anymore. they are still on the books. what we might one to do ou-- wht we might not want to do are things like the congressman did. cutting access for women to health care. also, cutting headstart. that is shooting ourselves in the foot. we have to be responsible. sequestration

is the worst way to govern. there are agencies that are run very efficiently, some run very effectively. those are the ones that we need to go after. we don't need this across the board. they already cut $500 billion from defense and they want to cut an additional $500 billion from defense. if you want to put america at risk, carry through with sequestration. >> this might be something that we actually agree on. we have got to get this solved. a lot of this stuff is a total nonstarter. democrats have to republicans, republicans have to work with democrats to make this happen. >> the next question, another big topic this political season is lobbying. i believe that we start with senator tester.

there are advertised as the claim that you have received the most money from lobbyists. how do explain that? >> i come home every weekend so i can travel the state to put montana's back to work. that was one of the bills that i helped to co-sponsor. this was the biggest lobbyist reform since watergate because it is critically important for the country. transparency is good. the state of montana has a good transparency and we need to take that to washington. congressman rehberg hid lobbyist money. he should have been a lobbyist. i depend upon the people of montana. that is where the differences. >> question is that you have

been on tape that said that if you had been a lobbyist, you would have been smart to get into the ran out. what to the people of my intent to make into that? >> lobbying is an honorable profession. -- what should the people of montana make of that? >> you and everyone in this room is represented by lobbyists in washington, d.c.. i never said they made my decisions. i said, i will listen to the people who are represented of of montana and my office in washington. the difference between me and senator tester who demonize lobbyists to get elected in 2006 is that i accept their affirmation, he said their cash. the number one senator, that is not easy to do.

lobbyisttalk about cash. what about heaven, congressman? you get him a job on a highway on eastern montana. would you like to respond to that? >> both senators were happy to do. you try to find projects that you want to work on. it is misleading to suggest that there's anything wrong with listening to lobbyists. there is a lobbyist for the cancer society, alzheimer's, the senior citizens center. everybody in this room is represented by somebody in washington. >> you take a look at the congressman is donation report.

he favors the cuts that go to his campaign. i make decisions based on what the people of my intent at tell me. i just don't talk about it, by the way. -- i make decisions based on what the people of montana tell me. the bottom line is that you don't do that by saying that you depend upon lobbyists to make decision. >> he's trying to mislead the people of montana. i never said i a take their decisions, i listen to what they have to say. i listen to the cancer society and make the best decision. i take their information and try to make this on behalf of montana. he takes their cash.

i support small business, he supports wall street. >> and that is why you voted to the fund headstart? -- to defund head start? "senators tester, you have the first closing statement. -- senator tester, you have the first closing statement. >> this is a big election. this is a big election for a number of reasons. from my perspective, one of the most important reasons is because we're back in 1912. we have come back to a time where corporations can't give unlimited amount of money and influence the political structure. -- can give unlimited amount of money and influence the blew up a structure. we have seen money come into this state. money that has no transparency

whatsoever. money that is used to define me as something that i am not. quite frankly, they cannot beat the former with the record that i have. -- they cannot beat the farmer with the record that i have. i make sure that montana is front and center in washington, d.c. i have had an incredible opportunity to work with some of the most incredible people in the world and they all live right in the state. when i first got appointed to the veteran affairs committee at public meetings and had a vietnam veteran come up to me and say, you will not treat the men and women like you did us. i have done my best to live up to the promises this country has made to our veterans. i had a sportsman said that you can have the best habitat in the world, but if you cannot protect

it, it does not help us with hunting and fishing. we want to make sure there is access to it. men and women come up and say, i cannot afford health care. i am a single mom or single and that income does not allow me to get health care. that is why it is important to have programs therefore are women. i would appreciate your vote in the election on november 6th and i want to thank you. got less montana and god bless america. >> -- god bless montana and god bless america. >> i want to thank the people of montana and for giving me the opportunity to serve in the congress for the past 12 years. tonight, you heard two different records, two different

visions. if you are satisfied with having the government placing themselves between the patient and doctor of the patient, then there is that path. having the government think that they can buy their way into prosperity. that they can take a part of your small business through a death tax. that they can intrude in our lives. they are costing us 35 jobs and a million dollars out of our economy. that is the one path. the other path is prosperity, freedom. it is getting freedom of our backs. you can support wall street or the street. we have tax uncertainty. do you think that your children are going to be better off than you? no hands go up because everybody is worried about the direction this country is taking.

if we're going to renew faith in ourselves and america, if we are going to revitalize the small business, it is not a government solution, it is a people solution. if you're satisfied with the direction we're taking, if you think obamacare is a good thing, if you think the stimulus is a good thing, for unelected bureaucrats to close a plant in ngs.ion support me if you think that we can do better. i have got the plan and i'm asking for your vote. i say good night to you all and god bless. >> that concludes our senate debate tonight. we would like to thank our two candidates for taking the time. it is now down to the final.

[applause] [chanting] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i was raised by my grandparents. i got to see how medicare works at a very young age. they have paid in throughout their working lives. we have to strengthen and extend its solvency. tommy thompson supports a program to replace traditional medicare with a voucher. this throws people out to the private interests world with a piece of paper that does not keep up with costs. tough luck. shifting costs to seniors. >> medicare, ladies and gentleman, will go bankrupt in the year 2024. i do not want medicare to go bankrupt. i want to fix medicare.

i want to make sure that seniors are protected. only those under the age of 50 will have a choice. not a voucher like she says. i have never supported a voucher. what i support is a program would affect those 50 and under. to want to go with the federal fund and the employee benefit? all of the people in congress. >> through the weekend, watch more debates. starting 10 eastern time in the morning on c-span. >> tomorrow, a senate debate in maine between republican charlie summers, democrat cynthia dill, independent angus king, and others. >> these are the stories that

your textbooks left out. they are great stories about real people and american history. really important moments. the first pilgrims came 50 years before the mayflower sailed. they were french, they made wind. they had the good sense to land in florida in june instead of in massachusetts. they were completely wiped out by the spanish. a woman was taken captive in 1695 and marched into new hampshire. in the middle of the night she kills her captors, realized that she can get a bounty for indian scalps. she stopped them and made her way to boston. this is the first at 22 in american women. it showed her with a hatchet in one hand and scallops in the other.

>> he is the best selling author of the "don't know much" series. >> with just five days to go until election day, and romney called on ohioans to vote early for her husband. during a rally, she said he will not fail women and the american people. this is a half hour. >> thank you. i am so pleased to be here today. what a warm welcome. what a lovely group of people. we are into the final days. isn't this exciting? we are going in the right direction. we are so pleased to be here. i have had a love the opportunity to travel with and through the months now and i see and her summit things that will be is so lovely in a first lady. we are so lucky to have her,

aren't we? the reason that i am here is not much different than the reasons from before. i care very deeply about my own family, obviously. once again, the mccain family has a son that is deployed. he is in the navy and he flies helicopters and he is indeed -- the reason i tell you that is because like any mother in this audience or any wife or any sister or and of someone who is serving, we want them safe. i want him home safely. with that said, i also want what america has always had and that is a strong military. i believe we should have that.

our military should remain strong and i want my son safe. i believe that mitt romney is the man to lead my son. [applause] a great asset for the state of ohio, jane portman. here she is. yay, sue. wow, what a great crowd. hi, everybody. it's great to be here with you. thank you for that nice introduction. we have been having a great time driving through ohio. we're happy to see the man in the crowd pre want you to turn out and vote on november 6 for

mitt romney. i want to say thank-you to all of you for everything each of you has done for this campaign and what you're going to do for the campaign in the next few days ahead. i would like to check a moment for all of us who -- take a moment and to think of the millions of americans who have been affected by hurricane sandy and lets them -- keep them in our thoughts and prayers and they need our help moving forward. i am here today to represent my husband who is in his job as u.s. senator. even more important i am here is a mother and a citizen who is very concerned about the future for our kids and our country. i am -- i know i'd have come to see that mitt romney is the right candidate for us for president. he is the man with a record. there you go.

he is. mitt romney is the man with a record, the experience, and the character to begin to turn things around, to change things in washington, to break the gridlock and to make the changes we need to get our country back on track. we all need to do everything that we can to be sure that he is elected as the next president of the united states and what i like to think today is we have five more days to avoid four more years. it is great to be here with all of you. great to feel this energy in ohio. it will be close but we're headed in the right direction. it is my pleasure to introduce a wonderful friend of mine and that is barbara nicholas, our

special guest. you all know barbara. she went to high school year and went to ohio state here. she and jack have been married for 52 years. they started their family here. they are real treasures throughout ohio and all across the united states. special people, barbara is a powerful and passionate advocate for children pose a health issues. she is the proud mother of five and a proud grandmother of 22. hannity's almost as many grandchildren as the romneys do. a way to know everyone adores and respects and admires jack but they really love barbara. help me in welcoming arbour nicholas -- barbara nicholas. thank you. [applause] >> wow. what a pleasure it is to be back

in my hometown and be with you and introduce one of the nicest ladies that you will ever meet. my days in north ohio have -- this is my home and i am so proud of it and try to be with you. i have admired mitt and ann f rom afar for many years. they share the same goals and ideas, god and family and country. [applause] i think our husbands have worked extremely hard their entire lives to achieve success in their chosen field. i think while may was treating the best life possible for his family, and was the guiding light of his family. mitt would say to her, my job is

temporary. my husband played a game where success was dependent on him and his competition was not the other 100 participants. his competition was himself. it was a jack against the golf course and his abilities and his hard work, time and effort were the keys to his success. outside the ropes we approached our marriage and our lives and our interests as a partnership. i think jack has been a great champion in the history of his sport. he has also been my champion for everything that matters to me and my family. [applause] in every marriage you what your spouse to be proud of you. i kind of always wanted to be

the wind beneath jack's wings. i have loved having jack by my side. mitt romney has stood by the side of ann romney through every battle and every challenge. mitt's unwavering support speaks volumes about the character of the man. today, ann romney is by the sight of her husband as he takes the fight to get our country back on its feet. i would like to think that jack and i and mitt and ann have a lot in common. we have five children. there is a place in heaven for the mother of five boys. we have 22 grandchildren as jane said.

there will catch and pass us. when i mentioned our children and grandchildren, the reality and the importance of this election come alive. the election is not about us, it is about our children and grandchildren. jack and i have always said that children are the root of the heart. as a parent, all we ever want to create is a better future for our children. we do not want to have to tell our children that yesterday was a better life than theirs will be tomorrow. they understand this and they know what it will take to get our country, the greatest nation on earth, back on the right track. this election provides us an opportunity to review the record of a president and to review the record of the president to be.

mitt romney understands the world but also the world of business. he has built successful businesses without sacrificing his values. he understands our economy as well as each and every political issue. mitt romney is deeply concerned that under the current economy there are five and a half million struggling to find work. women are suffering under this administration and we simply cannot and will not afford another four years of this economy. i am not a politician. to me, knowing what a good, decent, and intelligent man mitt romney is and know his background, experience, and trustworthiness, to be a great

t leader and an excellent choice -- no, the only choice president of the united states. he is the man i hope and pray will be our next president. he and ann will bring pride, credibility, and compassion back to our nation and make us even prouder to be american citizens. in three short words, they get it. they became high school sweethearts and, somewhere along the way mitt announced, soul mates. they are a team, and we need a team in the white house. [applause] our country has become divided, and for real change to begin, we have to come together and begin to work as one.

whether that is reaching across the aisle or reaching out to your neighbor, we need to unite as a nation. mitt romney is the leader that can make that happen. nancy reagan once said a woman is like a tea bag -- only when in hot water do you realize how strong she is. ann, all of you in this room, is a woman of strength and a woman with a voice, one that should be heard. many experts say women will decide this election. let's do it. we need to get out to vote. we need to make a difference. we need to vote for mitt romney. ann also speaks in terms of we, and she could not be more passionate in her role standing for her husband, reinforcing what he believes and what our

country needs today. you did not come here to listen to me, but i was so excited to be with you today. i see lots of familiar faces from growing up in this great city, which is still my home. i particularly am happy to have shared thoughts about ann romney. she is a special lady who shares the hopes and dreams of each of us in this room. this is arguably the nicest honor i have ever had, and i am very proud of this moment, and i am also proud to be able to say god bless you, god bless america, and god bless the next first lady of the united states, mrs. ann romney. ♪

>> oh. oh, my gosh, i am actually so touched, i am listening to this extraordinary woman. to be able to stand next to somebody as barbara know that she and jack represents so much of what we love about america, they are such wonderful examples to us, it brought tears to my eyes as i was backstage thinking of how amazing it is -- i have to pinch myself to think that anybody like that would even know who we are, because i have admired jack nicklaus all my life and admired his way of living, his way of achieving, as great as in so many areas outside of the golf course.

i know ohio is their home state, and that this is where so many of you folks know them and love them. as so many americans across the country admire and respect him, i am humbled to be on the stage which so many extraordinary women. i see there are few men. hi. there are a few men out there, too. this is great. jane mentioned we are on the girls' bus. i like rolling with the girls. i have had a great time with cyndi mccain. she and i have formed such a deep friendship. there are few people in this country who know what it is like to do this, and she and i know what it is like, so i'm grateful for cyndi. i am grateful for jane portman, whose husband was very helpful

for mitt preparing for those debates. we love rob and these great midwestern values. they shine through. we love that. a few of you have heard me say this before, but cyndi shares this sentiment and understands that running is very hard on families. it is very tough. after the last campaign when john mccain won, i made this recording for my husband. "sweetie, i am never doing this again." he laughed. he said, "you say that after every pregnancy."

true, true, and yet i have five boys. i will tell you when the fifth boy -- those are the days when you never knew what you were having -- when he popped out, i turned to mitt and said, "that is all i got." it was a long time waiting for the first granddaughter. i have five sons. you had a daughter. i have 18 grandchildren. guess how many are boys -- 13. i am surrounded. by the way, i have all brothers. i had to learn how to play football and baseball and play and roughhouse and everything else. life is interesting, and the boys taught me amazing lessons,

and i appreciate them so much. i could have nearly killed them when they were kids, but they taught me how to be open and how to be open with your feelings and how to express your feelings openly. i was shy. the thought that i am even up here on the stage with a microphone in my hand is wonderful. i spent my entire elementary school never saying one word, and teachers would put me in between other kids who were misbehaving because i was the buffer zone. no one was going to misbehave with me in the middle. shocking that i'm here with a microphone in my hand. the boys taught me a lot, how i should stand up for myself and to speak up. i appreciate that. women power is great, too, and now i finally have some of that in my life, and there is the greatest joy in my life with my

daughters-in-law. my granddaughters are now toilet trained. their mothers told me they were simply horrible. here we are, five days out. what an amazing journey we have been on, and i wish i could tell you all. this is a special day because this is my last day doing my campaigning on my own. for whatever reason, they kept mitt and i apart, but i have been on the road of lot on my own. this is my last day. it is an emotional day for me, because i wish i could tell you what i have learned on the road

and what i have heard and the stories i have heard. and i wish i could tell you how touched i am, how deeply touched i am, and how deeply touched my life has been by touching out and reaching so many americans across this country. we have come to know this country on such an extraordinary level, and i cannot tell you how much i love it and how much i love all americans. >> first lady! first lady! >> thank you. what i have heard and what has been etched in my heart have been the pleas of women. women have been coming up to me

and saying, please help me. women have been coming to be saying, we're hurting. there was a woman i just met in des moines who said she has been out of work for a year and a half. she has been giving blood to put food on the table for her children. these are things you cannot forget. when i go down and sleep at night, these are the things i am hearing, echoing in my head and my heart. they have been etched in my heart now, all the voices of americans out there that need help. the only thing i can tell them is that help is on the way. one thing i know about mitt, he does not fail, and he will not fail as the president. i have seen him in every situation, and i have known him since we were high school

sweethearts. this is an amazing guy. he has so much integrity and character. i have seen him as a husband, father, as the governor, as a businessman, as a guy that turned it around the olympics. in every single situation he has tackled each job with integrity, character, discipline, and a heart so big. this is the thing i know about mitt -- he cares, and we're doing this because he cares. i know my good friend just had a chance to share with you stories from our earlier years. i appreciate the friendships we have had throughout the years and the close friendships we

have been able to develop. those are the things that matter most in life, family and friends and the people and lives that we come into interaction with. there are people hurting in new york and new jersey. the tv is amazing, how many people must have lost their homes in new jersey. i know what americans do when they get down. they reach out and help one another. and i love seeing that as well. let me remind you that it is very easy to donate to the american red cross. your text -- 90999. we can remember that. this is terrible, my last day, i will tell more stories. after one debate, several

debates, i have a granddaughter and she was running around dancing "999, 999," and i said, "herman is on to something there." the american red cross, 90999, and you type in american red cross, press send, and $10 is deducted from your cell phone bill. it takes 10 seconds out of your life with $10. give to the american red cross, you who can help out in any way we can. we are all americans and we do what we all do best, help each other out. i will tell you stories that pam told, share with you another, which shows again how mitt cares.

i know what kind of person he is going to be when he sits in the oval office. it was a story told by a firefighter from massachusetts, whose son was diagnosed with cancer. we knew them and knew them pretty well, but not real well, and i found it interesting in my life to see what happened when mitt found out, because you got to put this in context. he was a busy professional person himself. he had four little boys at the

time, and i remember because my new little 2-year-old son benjamin was just learning how to talk, and i was struck by the fact that when david was diagnosed, mitt would take time out of his life and visit him in the hospital or at home, and he would take my little boys with him. i remember thinking this thought at that time, ben is learning how to talk, but he is learning something else. he is learning what it is like when a friend and neighbor gets in trouble. he is learning from his father how we behave when someone is hurting. you do not talk, you roll up your sleeves and you do. i think those lessons were learned when they were just no taller than our knees, and that is no surprise to me that my son and is now grown-up boy, a doctor right now himself, dr. benjamin romney. mitt developed a friendship, and in his friendship, david would talk to mitt about his life.

one of the things is that david loves to look at fireworks. the fire was the hard thing to get out. the firefighter father made sure that those fireworks were set off safely -- a few moments of happiness in david's remaining short days. another time he was visiting with david and he was recognizing he was losing his battle, and he asked, what is next for me? am i going to -- i do not know, i am afraid, i am really afraid. mitt said, david, do not fear, but you will be fine, you will live after this. you will be greeted by people who love you on the other side. you'll be fine and you will have the savior on the other side that will comfort you, and

life is eternal, and aren't we all blessed have that comfort in our lives? another time david asked, that he had a law degree, could you please write my will. mitt took his pen and paper, and they sat down, and david wanted to make sure that his rifle got to his brother, his skateboard got to his friend, and he wanted to say that he wanted to be buried in his boy scout uniform. wow. mitt wrote that well, and david had one final request, after they developed this friendship, and he asked, would he please give the eulogy at his funeral. that is the kind of man that i know is going to be sitting in that office in the white house. we are at this point now five days out.

early voting has started. we need you to encourage those people to vote and i get it done, make sure that ohio makes the decision here, in ohio. with clear eyes and a full heart. we will tell america that this is our choice, this is the path forward with the person who will bring the change that is desperately needed in washington. that change and that office will be held by the next president, whose name is mitt

romney. god bless you all for coming, and god bless the united states of america. thank you. thank you. ♪

>> friday, with four days before the election, they will kick off what they called a real recovery road toward. with rick perry, and senator john mccain. we will be live from westchester ohio at 7:30 p.m.. the national press club here is from rodney erickson. he will talk about presiding over the university as it deals with the jerry sandusky sec

y sex scandal. >> most recently watched the debate because i was in front of my computer and it went to see it. i knew it was on c-span. >> usually drills down and more important to the issues and is not antagonistic and not hostile and it does not seem to have an ax to grind or agenda they're trying to push like some the other -- some of the other cable tv shows. >> it seems fair. the get the real story and there is not commentary and things that are negative. >> i go there to get the news and the facts and get more details than just headlines or talking points want to learn something, not just be entertained. >> it is not as exciting as cnn or fox. you get the real story and i like it.

cspan, created by american's cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. >> now we joined president obama for his last event of the day. a rally in green bay, wisconsin. the president is back on the campaign trail after spending the first part of the week with people who suffered from hurricane city. this is 35 minutes. ♪ >> hello, boundulder. [cheers and applause] >> thank you.

are you fired up? are you ready to go? you seem pretty fired up. it is good to back in colorado. everybody please get savannah a great round of applause for the introduction. but of the shout out to the folks who are fighting for you every day in washington, senator michael bennett, senator mark udall. it is good to be here. thank you. now, i love you back. i do.

you know, those of you who have seats, feel free to sit down. i do know what you tired. you know, for the past few days, all this have been focused on one of the worst storms of our lifetime. we are humbled and ogg by nature as expressive power. we mourned those who are lost and our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have been affected. a pledge to help those whose lives have been turned upside down. i was just a phone call with some of the local officials in new york as well as gov. cuomo. they have a long way to go. to deal with this incredible storm. but, we have also been inspired

these past few days. because when disaster strikes, we see america at its best. the petty differences that consume less in normal times, they all seem to melt away. we saw it in california with the fires this summer and the terrible tragedy in aurora. there are no democrats and republicans during a crisis. just fellow americans. [applause] you know, we see leaders of different parties working to fix what is broken. neighbors helping neighbors to cope with tragedy. communities rallying to rebuild. a spirit that says in the end, we are in this together. we rise and fall as one nation. as one people. [applause]

in boulder, that spirit has guided this country for more than two centuries. it has carried us through the trials and tribulations of the last four years. we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. today, because of the resilience of the american people, our businesses have created 5 million new jobs. the american auto industry is back on top. american manufacturing is growing at the fastest pace in 15 years. we are less dependent on foreign oil than any time in 20 years. home values, home construction

is on the rise. and thanks to the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform, the war in iraq is over. the war in afghanistan is coming to an end. al qaeda has been decimated, osama bin laden is dead. so we have made real progress these past four years. colorado, we know our work is not yet done. as long as there is a single american that want a job and

can't find one, our work is not done. as long as there are families working harder and harder, but fallen further behind -- as long as there is a child somewhere in america languishing in poverty, our work is not yet done. [applause] our fight, our mission goes on because we know this nation can't succeed without a thriving middle-class. and strong ladders into the middle class for everybody that is willing to work hard and take responsibility. our fight goes on because america has done best when

everybody has a fair shot and everybody is playing by the same rules. that is what we believe and that is why you elected me in 2008. that is why i want a second term as president of the united states of america. [cheers and applause] >> four more years! four more years! >> now we knew, from the beginning, that our work would take more than one year or even more than one term. the middle class was getting hammered long before the financial crisis hit. the economy has changed over

the last 20 or 30 years. technology has made us more productive but it has also made a lot of good jobs obsolete. mobil trade brought us cheaper products but it also means jobs overseas in low-wage countries. american workers saw their paychecks getting squeezed. even when corporate profits rose and ceo salaries exploded. guaranteed pensions and health care starting to erode or disappear altogether. the rise of global competition, those are real. we can't wish them away. here is what i know. and we can meet those challenges. we are americans. we have the world's best

entrepreneurs, and tests, researchers, colleges, universities. we have the most innovative workers. we have everything we need to thrive in this new economy. there is not a country on earth that would not gladly trade places with the united states. to secure a future that we want for our kids and our grandkids, we have to make a choice right now. in five days, we will choose our next president. [applause] and, boulder, it is more than just a choice between two candidates or parties. you will be making a choice between two fundamentally different visions of america.

what were we return to the top- down policies that crashed the economy. don't boo, vote. vote. or a future built on a strong and growing middle class. we know what the choice needs to be. we are here because we believe if the country is back on the skills and ideas of its people, the jobs and businesses will follow. we believe the free market has been the engine of america's progress and we honor the risk takers and dreamers that drive the economy forward. we also understand that in this

country, people succeed when they have the chance that a good education or when they can learn new skills. they need workers. it is good for our country because of those folks get an education to start a new business. when we support research in medical breakthroughs or nanotechnology, new fields of study. new industries start here and they hire here. we don't believe government should poke its nose and everything we do. but we do believe this country is stronger at the markets work better when there are rules in place to protect kids from toxic dumping and mercury pollution.

when there are rules to protect consumers from unscrupulous credit card companies and mortgage lenders. we are convinced that we grow faster and the evidence is on our side. it rewards hard work and companies create jobs in america. we believe that quality health care, for everybody, and retirement, for everybody, they are not just achievable goals, but our values as a nation. that is what we believe. [applause] for eight years, we had a president that actually share those beliefs. his name was bill clinton. you know, the interesting thing was, when he was elected, he

asked the wealthiest americans to pay a little more so that we can reduce the deficit and make investment in education, research, and guess what? a bunch of folks running for congress at the time said this is going to hurt the economy. this is going to kill job creation. if that argument sounds familiar, one of those candidates has to be running for president right now. it turns out his bath at their math was just as bad back then as it is now. by the end of bill clinton's second term, americans created 23 million new jobs. poverty was doubt and the deficit became the biggest surplus in history. colorado, we know the ideas. we know that our ideas work. we also know those that don't work.

eight years after bill clinton left office. his policies were reversed. the wealthiest americans got tax breaks they did not need. companies enjoy tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas and insured that oil companies and wall street were given free rein. folks got to play by different set of rules than the rest of us. the result was falling in comes and record deficits and the slowest job growth in half a century. and an economic crisis that we have been cleaning up for the last four years. so here is the thing. we have tested both theories. we have tested both visions. one worked really well. one worked really badly.

romney has been using all of his formidable talents as a salesman to dress up the very same policies that toppled the country and that we have been cleaning up after, he is offering them up as change. he is saying he is the candidate of change. don't boo, vote. vote. let me tell you, colorado, we know what change looks like. we know what is going to help the middle class. we know what is going to grow jobs and reduce the deficit. governor romney is not it. giving more power back to the biggest banks is not change. leaving millions without health

insurance, that is not change. another -- [applause] another $5 trillion tax cut that favors the wealthy is not change. refusing to answer questions about details of your policies, not change. ruling out compromise by rubber stamping the tea-party policies, that does not change. that is what we have to change. with all the commercials coming to people, sometimes it is hard

to follow stuff and hard to know who to trust. after four years, you know me by now. [cheers and applause] you may not agree with every decision i have made. did you may be frustrated with the pace of change. i remind people when we did auto bailout, only 10% of the country approved of it, including folks in michigan and ohio, but you know where i stand. you know i am willing to make tough decisions, even when they are not politically convenient. [applause]

most importantly, you know i will fight for you and your family every single day. that is why i know what real change looks like, because i fought for it. i have the scars to prove it. you fought for it, too, and after all we have been through together, we cannot give of fat. -- give up that. let's picture what real change looks like. real change is a country where americans of every day in -- every age have the education and skills required. we know they cannot do this alone.

do not tell me hiring more teachers will not help this economy. [applause] do not tell me that students who cannot afford college can borrow money from their parents. that was not an option for me. i bet it was not an option for a lot of you. we should not be ending and why tax credits to pay for millionaire tax cuts. we should be making college more affordable for anyone willing to pay for it. we should recruits 100,000 map and science teachers so high- tech jobs -- math and science teachers so high-tech jobs are not created in china but right here in colorado. we should work with community colleges to train another 2 million americans with the skill businesses are looking for now, and that is part of my plan

for the future. that is what changes. that is what is at stake in this election. change comes when we live up to america's legacy of innovation, where we make america the next home of scientific discovery when technological breakthroughs. i am proud i met on a mirror -- i'd bet on american ingenuity, and we are not just building cars. we are building better cars that will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. [applause] today there are thousands of

workers all across the country. not every technology we bet on will pan out. there is a future for clean energy it in america. i am not going to see the future to another country. i want to create jobs here in america. i want to support the new technologies that will reduce carbon who in our atmosphere, that will make us less dependent on foreign oil. that is the future worth

fighting for. [applause] real change is finally turning the page on a decade of war. let's do some nation building here at home. we will pursue our enemies with the strongest military the world has ever known. it is time to use some of the

savings from ending the wars in iraq and afghanistan to start repaying our debt, to start rebuilding america. that is part of our national security. right now we can put people back to work all across the country, fixing roads and bridges, making sure our schools are state of the art. let's put americans back to work doing the work that needs to be done. let's focus on our veterans, because nobody who fights for this country should have to fight for a job. [applause] that is my commitment to you. that is part of keeping america strong. that is what is at stake in this election. change in which we reduce our deficit, and we can streamline

agencies. we can get rid of programs that are not working, but if we are serious, we have to ask wealthy americans to go back to the tax rates they paid when bill clinton was in office. [applause] of budget is all about priorities. it is about what values do we care about. i am not going to turn medicare into a voucher to pay taxes. i am not going to allow this nation to be plunged into another battle over health-care reform and take millions of americans of health care and weaken the reforms we put in place, including making sure young people can stay on their

parents' plan just so insurance companies can jump back into the driver's seat. by the way, i am not going to allow politicians in washington to control health-care choices women should make it by themselves. i am not going to do that. we are not going to go backwards. we are going to go for words. -- forwards. [applause] colorado, we know what change is. we know what the future requires. we do not need a big government agenda or a small government agenda. we need a middle class agenda that will reward responsibility. we need a common sense agenda that says when we educate a poor child, it helps us all, that says we donate suit science, her discovery will

benefit all americans. we need an agenda that recognizes we do not just look out for ourselves. we look out for one another. we look out for future generations. we meet these obligations by working together. that is the change we need. that is what 2008 is about. that is why i need you to vote. [applause]

>> our next question comes from our panelists.

>> i think this goes to the congressman. you touched on this mask cool fiscal cliff of large spending cuts. this could potentially cost the average person $3,500. will this happen? >> i will do everything i can to see that it doesn't happen. the effective have would be unimaginable. even the secretary of defense has said this is not a good idea. this is a fiscal cliff and this is serious. we need to be serious about it. that is why if we repeal obamacare, we will have eliminated that problem. but a form of transportation, there was one individual that was making overcome $170,000. 18 months later, there was 1690 that were making over 170,000.

we have a spending problem in this country. we need to control our spending first. i can give you all kinds of places where we have ways, fraud, and abuse. >> we cannot be allowed to go over the fiscal cliff. we have to work together to get this fixed. there is enough skin in the game for everybody. we need to get together. just as the default, obviously 2011 would have put the country into a tailspin economically. we have the opportunity to work together to put politics aside, to work as americans. there are already people working on a long-term debt reduction.

let's take a look at what those folks have to offer and then let's get it fixed by the first quarter of 2013. it is important to the future of this country. >> when you talk about cuts, where would the first cuts come from? is anything sacred? >> again, i talked about the elimination of obamacare. in my budget, what i'm trying to do, 46 different job training programs and 8 different federal agencies. that must be the limited. pakistan, we're sending them $4 billion a year, yet they have closed of our supply line by which we supply our troops in afghanistan. we need to get serious with our neighbors and say we're not trying to buy our friends and we are not going to necessarily

nation build. we still have cold war era basis that we could close, make our military action stronger and to make our allies happier. there are many things that we can go back and look at whether it is the tax earmarks, loopholes. closing the loopholes for those that offshore jobs. we need to look at the programs that are not providing any service anymore. they are still on the books. what we might one to do -- what we might not want to do are things like the congressman did. cutting access for women to health care. also, cutting headstart.

that is shooting ourselves in the foot. we have to be responsible. >> sequestration is the worst way to govern. there are agencies that are run very efficiently, some run very effectively. those are the ones that we need to go after. we don't need this across the board. they already cut $500 billion from defense and they want to cut an additional $500 billion from defense. if you want to put america at risk, carry through with sequestration. >> this might be something that we actually agree on.

we have got to get this solved. a lot of this stuff is a total nonstarter. democrats have to republicans, republicans have to work with democrats to make this happen. >> the next question, another big topic this political season is lobbying. i believe that we start with senator tester. there are advertised as the claim that you have received the most money from lobbyists. how do explain that? >> i come home every weekend so i can travel the state to put montana's back to work. that was one of the bills that i helped to co-sponsor. this was the biggest lobbyist reform since watergate because it is critically important for the country. transparency is good. the state of montana has a good transparency and we need to take that to washington. congressman rehberg hid lobbyist money. he should have been a

lobbyist. i depend upon the people of montana. that is where the differences. >> question is that you have been on tape that said that if you had been a lobbyist, you would have been smart to get into the ran out. what should the people of montana make of that? >> lobbying is an honorable profession. >> you and everyone in this room is represented by lobbyists in washington, d.c. i never said they made my decisions. i said, i will listen to the people who are represented of of montana and my office in washington.

the difference between me and senator tester who demonize lobbyists to get elected in 2006 is that i accept their affirmation, he said their cash. the number one senator, that is not easy to do. >> let's talk about lobbyist cash. what about heaven, congressman? you get him a job on a highway on eastern montana. would you like to respond to that? >> both senators were happy to do. you try to find projects that you want to work on. it is misleading to suggest that there's anything wrong

with listening to lobbyists. there is a lobbyist for the cancer society, alzheimer's, the senior citizens center. everybody in this room is represented by somebody in washington. >> you take a look at the congressman is donation report. he favors the cuts that go to his campaign. i make decisions based on what the people of montana tell me. i just don't talk about it, by the way. the bottom line is that you don't do that by saying that you depend upon lobbyists to make decision. >> he's trying to mislead the people of montana. i never said i a take their decisions, i listen to what they have to say. i listen to the cancer society

and make the best decision. i take their information and try to make this on behalf of montana. he takes their cash. i support small business, he supports wall street. >> and that is why you voted to defund head start? >> senator tester, you have the first closing statement. >> this is a big election. this is a big election for a number of reasons. from my perspective, one of the most important reasons is because we're back in 1912. we have come back to a time

where corporations can give unlimited amount of money and influence the political structure. we have seen money come into this state. money that has no transparency whatsoever. money that is used to define me as something that i am not. quite frankly, they cannot beat the farmer with the record that i have. i make sure that montana is front and center in washington, d.c. i have had an incredible opportunity to work with some of the most incredible people in the world and they all live right in the state.

when i first got appointed to the veteran affairs committee at public meetings and had a vietnam veteran come up to me and say, you will not treat the men and women like you did us. i have done my best to live up to the promises this country has made to our veterans. i had a sportsman said that you can have the best habitat in the world, but if you cannot protect it, it does not help us with hunting and fishing. we want to make sure there is access to it. men and women come up and say, i cannot afford health care. i am a single mom or single and that income does not allow me to get health care. that is why it is important to have programs therefore are women. i would appreciate your vote in the election on november 6th and i want to thank you. god bless montana and god bless america. >> i want to thank the people of montana and for giving me the opportunity to serve in the

congress for the past 12 years. tonight, you heard two different records, two different visions. if you are satisfied with having the government placing themselves between the patient and doctor of the patient, then there is that path. having the government think that they can buy their way into prosperity. that they can take a part of your small business through a death tax. that they can intrude in our lives. they are costing us 35 jobs and a million dollars out of our economy.

that is the one path. the other path is prosperity, freedom. it is getting freedom of our backs. you can support wall street or the street. we have tax uncertainty. do you think that your children are going to be better off than you? no hands go up because everybody is worried about the direction this country is taking. if we're going to renew faith in ourselves and america, if we are going to revitalize the small business, it is not a government solution, it is a people solution. if you're satisfied with the direction we're taking, if you think obamacare is a good thing, if you think the stimulus is a good thing, for unelected bureaucrats to close a plant in billings. support me if you think that we can do better.

i have got the plan and i'm asking for your vote. i say good night to you all and god bless. >> that concludes our senate debate tonight. we would like to thank our two candidates for taking the time. it is now down to the final. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i regard medicare as not just a program, but a promise. i got to see how medicare worked at a have i young age, and it is -- they paid in throughout their working lives. we have to strengthen and extend its solvency, but i would note that tommy thompson supports a program to replace traditional medicare with a voucher. send people off to the private health shirns world with a piece of paper.

if it doesn't keep up with costs, tough luck, it's out of your own pocket, shifting costs to seniors as was the sweetheart deal with the drug companies. that's the wrong policy. >> medicare, ladies and gentlemen, is going to go bankrupt in the year 2024. i do not want medicare to go bankrupt. i want to fix medicare, but i want to make sure that seniors in america and wisconsin are protected. and all those under the age of 50 by the year 2000 will have a choice, not a voucher like she says. i have never supported the voucher. what i support, mike, is a program that those individuals that are 50 and under in year 2020 will make a choice -- do i still want to be with medicare or go with the federal health employee benefit, which the president gets, all the people in congress. >> watch more debates from key house, senate, and governor's races starting saturday morning at 10:00 eastern on c-span.

on election day, watch our coverage. debates from key races from around the country. coming up on c-span, republican presidential candidate mitt romney campaigns in doswell, virginia. then president obama holds a campaign rally at the university of colorado at boulder. and later, "washington journal" looks at the role of ohio as a battleground state in 2012. later today we'll have a senate debate from maine. we'll bring it to you live starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> these are the stories your text booksing left out. they're great stories about real people in american history, very important moments in american history that we don't know about, the first

pilgrims in america came to -- came 50 years before the mayflower sailed. they were french. they made wine. they had the good sense to land in florida in june instead of december in massachusetts, but then they were wiped out by the spanish. but we completely left the story out of the text books. the most famous woman in america, she was taken captive by indians in 1695, marched up into new hampshire. in the middle of the night, she killed her captors, realized she could get a bounty for scouts, indian scouts. she went back, scalped them, and made her way to boston, where she was a heroine. she actually erected a statue to her, the first statue to an american woman, a permanent statue, showed her with a hatch net one hand and scalps in the other. >> kenneth davis is our guest sunday, taking your calls, emails and tweets on "in-depth." he's the best-selling author of the "don't know much" series. the most recent is about the american president. watch live at noon eastern on

book tv on c-span. >> we join presidential candidate mitt romney campaigning in virginia. first we hear from virginia republicans, including senate candidate george allen, governor bob mcdonnell, and house majority leader eric cantor. this is an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, patriots all, good afternoon! it is a great afternoon, and i have a question for you all. are you all ready for america's comeback? well, that's great. that's what susan and i have been hearing. people care about jobs. they care about the economy. they care about the future of our country. they want to see leaders in washington that will work

together, to get things done, to restore the american dream. what they want is leaders who listen to your voices. leaders who care about your values and your opportunities. and indeed, what people want to see is a healthy economy, where small businesses are prospering and creating jobs again. i see there's some young people here, some really young people here. others a little bit older, but younger. this election is for you, to make sure that you have the same opportunities to catch your dream that we had growing up. and unlike my opponent, who wanted to be president obama's virginia, i want to be virginia's senator. we are so very fortunate to have here in virginia a governor who's leading a

comeback here in the commonwealth of virginia. we don't need -- we need leaders. bob, you were in the legislature, so was eric at the time. the democrats controlled the general assembly when i was governor. we cut taxes, though, by $600 million. we made our streets and communities safer. higher academic standards in our schools, and over 300,000 net new jobs were created in those four years. mitt romney was governor of massachusetts, also with a democratic legislature. and what he was able to do was cut red tape and balance the budget. that's the leadership mitt romney will bring to us. in this campaign, we've been focused on our blueprint for america's comeback, constructive, positive ideas that motivate, inspire people for solutions that work. it's a pro-growth, pro-job growth plan of action. we need taxes that are more simple, more fair, more

competitive, close the loopholes. we need regulations that are reasonable. we need productive energy policy and empowering education. we all need to be united. and i know leader cantor, the governor, members of the general assembly, but also with mitt romney as president, we can unite americans behind this mission. let's send a message to the world that america is open for business again. and a positive way of getting all this done is recognizing that here in america we're very blessed, blessed with freedom, blessed with fertile ground where we can grow crops to feed ourselves. we're also blessed to be number one in the world when it comes to energy resources. we have the energy resources

here in virginia from our coal fields to our coast. and on day one, after i get elected by you as u.s. senator, i will introduce a bill that very first day to allow us in virginia to produce oil and natural gas off our coast and use their coal fields. [applause] and when we have mitt romney in the white house we're going to have a president who will stop e.p.a.'s assault on coal and heel be saying yes to virginia energy from our coast to the coal fields, yes to american energy and energy jobs and american energy independence. [applause] >> and we can have a government in washington that is effective and accountability. leadership is about setting

priorities and working together to achieve those goals t. paramount responsibility of the federal government is national defense. and i see some veterans with their hats on. all the veterans, raise your hand. [applause] thank you. thank you for your service to our country and thank your families as well. and we need to have america keep our promises to our veterans and their families for the benefits they've errand. more over, we have new threats from washington. the sequestration deal, which is threatening 200,000 jobs in virginia and our military readiness. they've made the cuts elsewhere. what has the senate done? absolutely nothing. no budgets for the last three and a half years.

a lot of members of congress shouldn't get paid if they don't make appropriations. what does president obama and opponent jim mccain say? we need to raise taxes. that's the right reaction because that would mean fewer jobs. and i want to be real clear. the 200,000 men and women in virginia whose jobs are at risk who serve in our armed forces should never be used as a political bargaining chip to race taxes on small business owners. [applause] >> the best way to raise revenues is with a thriving economy where businesses are prospering and people are getting paychecks, not worrying about extension of unemployment benefits.

so folks there is a lot at stake five days from now. november 6 it is our generation's rendezvous with destiny. i believe that the people of virginia here in the richmond area, the central virginia area, especially since we're here at doswell farms where the greatest history resource in all was born. we want to be like secretary i can't and you all are going to lead the way for a triple crown victory where we re-elect our leader eric cantor for a representative. [applause] where with our win in the u.s. senate we change the leadership in the united states senate to common sense conservative.

and the key to the winner's circle, mitt romney in the white house. [applause] let me turn it over to our lead horse in virginia. a great friend and leader. and one of the outstanding best governors in the whole united states of america, our friend and great leader and his job is one that is great for all of us and he needs a friend in washington. let me present to you our great governor, bob mcdonnell. >> good afternoon. thank you george and ladies and gentlemen are you ready to elect mitt romney and paul ryan to save jobs in virginia?

[applause] are you ready to get the greatest country on earth out of debt and back to work by electing mitt romney? [applause] i thought so. well you look all dried out and recovered from the store and god blessed us by giving us a glancing blow. what great work done by our first responders and government officials around the state. we are blessed to have done so well here in virginia. [applause] you know a month ago president obama came to virginia and said if you don't win virginia, i won't be president of the united states. will you help him keep that promise? [applause] we love having mitt romney here. but we like having president obama and joe biden here because they say the darnedest things in virginia, don't they?

like joe biden, it's great to be here in north carolina. and then the incredulous remark by president obama that if you have a business, you didn't build that, somebody else made that happen. can you believe that he said that? does that sound like somebody who understands free enterprise and the american dream? fortunately, we have a candidate who does. i'm glad to have followed george allen. he was a great reform governor and he will be a great united states senator to help turn this country around. [applause] i'm so glad to see all you veterans here and all oh of you that understand the coal industry, thank you for coming. and all of you that understand freed new mexico america is not free.

for centuries it's taken properties like you to make our -- patriots like you to make our country great. >> my grandfather came in search of the american dream. he worked in a factory in massachusetts and 100 years later his grandson is governor. isn't it a great country? but unfortunately that great american dream -- and all of you have stories like that maybe brought you here today in search of a better future for your kids and grandkids. that american dream is under attack right now. all you have to do is look at 23 million people that have no access to the dream because they can't find a job. 8% unemployment rate. 16 trillion in debt. no president in american history has increased the debt

as much as this president, $16 trillion, no budget and a debt that would go to $24 trillion in four years. the highest on food stamps and the heart ache of people because they can't find a job and access the american dream. one in six americans riving in poverty. no plan for the country that's blessed with the greatest energy resources in all the world. ladies and gentlemen, we need a change in this country and we need it now. [applause] this president has been a bystander now for a year while the sequestration defense cuts that threaten to devastate in

the words of secretary panetta devastate the military at a time our men and women are serving in a war in afghanistan and this president refuses to lead and pass the bill to cut out these defense cuts, refuses to take a stand on men and women in uniform right now. only mitt romney will make that change and that's why we need a president that will protect the united states military in a time of war. [applause] despite all these new taxes and regulations and unfunded man dates and interference from washington, virginia is blessed with having the lowest unemployment rate in the southeast, but think how much better that would be if we had somebody in the white house that understood job creation and free enterprise and the american dream. boy, would we be in good shape.

we're trying to be the first state on the east coast to drill offshore. we're trying to make that coal industry in virginia thrive. this president says no. we need mitt romney because he will say necessary to energy jobs in the common wealth of virginia. [applause] so fortunately, fortunately, we have an incredible candidate in mitt romney. let me tell you about the heart of mitt romney. you know people by their vision. in fact, the scriptures say for lack of vision the people perish. but with vision the people prosper and for new prosperity in america we need a new vision. this is a man that turned massachusetts around with a democratic legislature and cut $3.5 billion out of their

budget without racing taxes. this man turned the olympics around. this is a man that created jobs in the private sector because he understands small business. this is a man of great faith and great character that -- grate character -- great character that builds a great america. all the has been, always will. >> so while we have a surplus of rhetoric and a surplus of debt. fortunately, we have a leader that will say what we need to do that has a specific plan for getting the middle class back to work with energy and small business and trade and deficit reduction, specific ideas to turn this country around to replace the excuses and the lack of results we're getting in washington. so ladies and gentlemen, let me

close with this, five days, and i know a lot of you have been working hard. in fact, you've been working hard since 2009. thank you for giving eric cantor three new congressmen in 2010 to change the united states congress. thank you forgiving big howl six new members of the house of delegates, the most in the history of the state back in 2011. thank you for what you've done over the last nine months for paul ryan and mitt romney and george allen and eric cantor. but thanks most of all for what you're going to do the next five days. there are still people that haven't decided mitt romney is the best guy for the united states of america. so you can knock on doors, you can send out your e-mails, you can still make a lot of phone calls. you can tweet or use facebook.

if you don't know how, there are kids up here that are 10 years old and they can show you how to do it. you can talk to people at church on sunday or at work on monday, there are thousands of people here. make five phone calls, ask them to make five phone calls, that will be 50,000 people and mitt romney will be the next president of the united states thank to you, the commonwealth of virginia. [applause] ladies and gentlemen it's now my pleasure to introduce to you my former seat mate in the house of delegates, eric cantor. he has done a great job. he understands the limited government works best for the people of the united states. he's the champion for the free enterprise system. so please welcome, our great

leader from the united states congress, your majority leader,, eric cantor. >> [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. -- thank you very much. i want to thank all of you for your hard work which and i know it seems like an awful long time we've been at . this but it's just five more days, five more days. are you ready to win in five days? [applause] we are here today because all of us are concerned about our country. and i know it speaks to the moral fabric of who we are that while this state of ours and others certainly to the north have endured a ho risk storm that we are resolute that we came together, we came with

compassion in caring for our fellow citizens and we are here today in that spirit because we carry about virginia and we know that virginia cares about america. that's why we're going to elect george allen to the senate and mitt romney as our next president. [applause] niffs an airport the other day and i met a man who is a home building er and he told me he is a home builder but he had a take a job as a cook in a restaurant because he couldn't find a position to match his skills. we can do better for him, we can do better for the tens of thousands of people who are looking for that job to match their skills and some who have

been forced to take one just to make ends meet and pay the bills and even worse some who have knots a job at all. we can do better and we are going to do better under mitt romney's leadership. [applause] mitt romney is the only candidate throughout this entire campaign that has had a specific plan to create jobs, to get america back to work and start growing our economy. and there is no doubt abet, we will win with that message here in virginia. and i know we'll win with your efforts because they're going to pay off. now look. we all know that the results that have come out of washington over the last four years have not been the kind of results that the people of virginia deserve or that

americans deserve which and i can tell you this country is in desperate need of a leader who understands first of all that reasonable people can disagree. i always say i've been married almost 23 years. my wife and i don't agree on everything. we've been married and we've raised our kids and we know how to set differences aside and know how to come together. that's what this country is built upon is the spirit of cooperation of understanding that we've been blessed to be part of this incredible country. well, mitt romney has proven that he's been able to operate in the most difficult environments. as the governor just said he was the governor of probably the most democratic state in

the country. but as a republican he sat done with people of different views and said let's figure out what we can agree on, what we can do. now this country has a lot of problems. we're spending money we don't have and that's got to end. we know mitt romney knows how to balance budgets. we know mitt romney knows how to fix the problems that are facing this country. [applause] so we need a leader like that in washington. i can tell you from experience the man in the white house has fallen short on his job of uniting people and pointing this country in a direction that offers us all hope. he has failed in that effort. i can also tell you we have tens of thousands of people in virginia who dedicate their life in uniform. many veterans know what i speak because we thank you and virginia has hey rich heritage in playing a huge role in the

defense of this country and the promotion of its national security. and thank you for that [applause] as governor's allen and mcdonnell said before this president has failed to offer a solution to avoid the defense cuts that potentially could threaten our position as a global military power and could certainly threaten the commitment and the jobs of tens of thousands of people in virginia dedicated to the defense industry. mitt romney has a plan that will get our country back on track, will strengthen our military and will send the signal to our allies that we stand for freedom and we stand with those who stand with us.

[applause] so without further ado, please join me in welcoming the next president of the united states, governor romney. [applause] ♪

♪ i was born free born free born free ♪

>> wow, what an entrance. it's kind of hard to upstage bob mcdonnell but i try. thank you. what a welcome. virginia, we're going to win on november 6. i tell you that. now i want to thank a few people. thank you ricky for entertaining us and i appreciate his support and all the work he's doing. and thank you to all the leaders in your state. you just saw the governor bob mcdonnell. is the lieutenant governor here? [applause]

>> where is the attorney general? is he here too? there he is down there. thank you ken. i appreciate you being here. eric cantor, you just heard from. thank you. and the next great senator from the great common wealth of virginia none other than governor george allen. [applause] i also want to mention the fact that a lot of people in this country are having a hard time right now particularly those hit by the hurricane and if you have a few extra dollars send them to the relief organizations and that can make a difference in the lives of our fellow citizens.

it's part of who we are as americans to step forward when people need our help and this is one of those times. so thank you for the help have you provided and the help you're going to provide. [applause] >> this is an election of great >> what about climate? that launched this monster storm! >> u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> this is an election of great consequence and i think you understand that. i know there are some people who believe we should stay on the current course and things are going find.

i don't believe status quo is right for america. i believe america needs real change and we're going to give it to the american people. [applause] president obama's campaign slogan is forward. i think a better term would be forewarned. we've seen the results of the last four years. we've got a lot of people who are hurting and think don't want to see another four years like the last. do you want to see another four years with 23 million americans struggling for a good job. do you want to see more taxes or higher gasoline prices? do you want to see four more years with washington in gridlock? i know the president wants to see four more years and that's his chant but our chant is this -- five more days, five more days. [applause] now the president has been

trying to find a new idea because he knows people aren't happy what has happened over the last four years. we had three debates and the president wasn't able to put forward a plan to get the economy going. he just says he's going to do more of the same. he came out with a brother sure but no new ideas to get the economy going. then he came up with an idea he's going to create a department of business. i just don't think another cabinet chair is going to create the jobs america needs. so i'm going to make sure we get a president who understand business instead of hiring someone in the cabinet.

his campaign seems to have been reduced to smaller and smaller things. as people are facing more and more challenges and he's been looking for agenda other than just forward, more of the same. for a while there he was talking about saving characters on sesame street then it was word games with my name that he was playing then he got anxious and went out there and attacked me day in and day out. attacking me does not create agenda for him. we have a plan to get this economy going. we're going to put it in place to help the american people. [applause] i fundamentally believe in the american people. i believe in america. i believe that america is going to come back if we do what we've done from the beginning which is to unleash the freed ms of the american people and

let them pursue their dreams. so my plan is five steps to get this economy going. number one take full advantage of our coal, our oil gas and renewables. this is kind of our economy's ace in the hole right now because someone discovered not just how to drill in the earth vertically but how to go horizontally and tap into pockets of oil and gas. by virtue of that technology we can have north earn energy independence within eight years. and that means jobs. that means jobs here in the energy sector as well as in manufacturing. manufacturing uses a lot of energy which and energy here will be abundant and

inexpensive so manufacturing is going to come back. and by the way energy jobs and manufacturing jobs they create a lot of jobs. this is a big plus for us and taking full advantage of it is going to get us working again. that's number one. number two, just a little background. we're the most productive nation of any nation on earth. now productive means when you add up all the things that are made in america including all the services that are sold in america, you add them up and divide them by the number of workers in our work force, the out put per person is greater than other nations. what that means is trade is good for us. so opening up new markets for trade and selling our goods in latin america which is a huge market, we could expand there. i want to make trade work for america by opening up markets

and i also want to make sure that if nations cheat and steel jobs by not playing by the rules, we hold them accountable. that's what i want to do with china. we're going to make trade work for america. now number three -- number one is energy, number two is trade and number three is making sure the workers have the skills they knead. we have 47 programs in government reporting to eight different agencies. think of all the bureaucrats. i'd like to take those dollars and bundle them up and say virginia you run your program the way you think is best for your people. [applause] and i want to fix our schools too for the coming generation. i want our kids to have the skills they need as well. i think it's bad that the nation that invented public education is performing in the bottom third of education

accomplishment. it's unacceptable. i won't go through all of what you have to do. it's all about teachers and hiring the best and brightest, promoting the best and making sure they're well compensated. the key is teachers. and we got to put the kids at the top, the parents and the teachers and the teachers union is going to have to go behind and put kids first. [applause] that's number three. number four and this may not immediately connect with why the budget has anything to do with jobs but let me tell you if you're an entrepreneur about risking your life savings to open a business or a company investing in billions of dollars in factories in america. you're not going to do that if you think we're on the road to

greece. and that's the road we're on. so i will commit to you i will do everything in my power to cut federal spending and cap it and get us on track to a balanced budget so we can create more jobs here. [applause] and number five, i want to champion small business. i want to make it easier for small business -- i was just a few moments ago at bill's barbecue in town here. they used of the 200 employees. the owner of bill's just told me she's going to close her doors. and i said why. and she said taxes, federal regulations and then she also said obama care. taxes regulations and

obamacare, those three things are crushing small businesses across america. you realize -- let me take you through the calculation on tacks. if you're a small business, a successful one. you can calculate how much you're going to give to the government. i smoke to a man and he calculated how much they send to government. with federal income tax 35%, payroll tax, state income tax, state sales tax, real estate tax, gasoline tax. they said over 50% of what their business makes they send to government. he said think about this. when you start a small business your chance of succeeding is not real high. the failure rate on small business is pretty significant. if and if you succeed the government wants more than half

of what you make. so businesses are less likely to get started and hire people. so i want to bring the tax rates down. the president wants to raise tax on small business. i would not raise taxes on small businesses or on middle class america. we've also got to get regulators to see that their job is in helping businesses not killing them. big business can handle regulations by the way. it slows them down but they can handle it because they have all the lawyers in the world. you got to make it easier for small business. obama care is one of the things i heard. obama care the cost per employ was back breaking and they couldn't finances it. so one thing we've got to do if we want to keep jobs is get rid of obama care and replace it. [applause]

now by the way, let me just ask the leader over here. leader cantor, when was the last time you met with the president on the economy or jobs or budget? >> almost a year. >> we'll have to go back and check the calendar. for me to get the things done i'm going to have to reach across the aisle and meet with good democrats who love america just like you love america. and there are good democrats like that. i'm going to meet regularly with democrat and republican leaders. i won't do that once a year. i will do that frequently. we have to work together. these are critical times. this is an election of consequence. this is an election where i think we're not just going to shape the country for four

years but for a generation. so it's important we have a president who understands how to work across the aisle. i was elected in the common wealth of massachusetts. we have a few democrats in my state. my legislature is 85% democrat or was when i was governor, 85%. we had a multibillion dollar budget gap. we didn't go to work attacking each other. we went to work trying to do the people's business. he said the campaign is over. we cut state spending, we cut it. we balanced the budget every year. a $3 billion budget gap became a $2 billion fund. this has to happen in washington. and i will bring it to washington with your help. [applause] i want you to know i am excited about the prospects for our country. i am not down in the dumps.

i know we face real challenges and concerns but the american people are creative, can do, hardworking. the american people have what it takes to come out of these tough times if we got the right person leading our nation. [applause] and if we pull together. i've seen the greatness of the american spirit time and again. over my lifetime i've seen something about the great character of the american heart. i have a favorite story i've been telling across the country about a time when i served as a boy scout leader. we have a few here. thank you for helping in that program. i was at the court of honor room. boy scout court of honor is where you get awards. i was seated at the end of the table next to the american flag that was there. that was there. and the person who was speaking